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Judson Pratt

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Judson Pratt

(American character actor
of film and television)

Actor Judson Pratt.jpg

Born December 6, 1916
Hingham, Massachusetts, USA
Died February 9, 2002 (aged 87)
Northridge, Los Angeles, California
Spouse Roberta Jonay Pratt (married 1950-1976, her death)

Two sons


Judson Pratt (December 6, 1916 – February 9, 2002) was an American character actor. Pratt began his professional career on stage in the 1940s. From the 1950s to 1980, he appeared in more than one hundred films and television roles.

Pratt retired from acting in 1980 and died more than two decades later.

Early life and career

Pratt was born in Hingham in Plymouth County, near Boston, Massachusetts. In 1941, he made his Broadway debut in the play Popsy, which closed after two days. In 1950, Pratt made his television debut on The Armstrong Circle Theatre. Throughout the rest of the decade, he had guest roles on numerous television shows including Shadow of the Cloak, Have Gun – Will Travel, Kraft Television Theatre, Westinghouse Studio One, Men of Annapolis, The Web, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, General Electric Theater, [[The Donna Reed Show], and Riverboat.

In 1951, Pratt made his film debut in an uncredited role in the 1953 Alfred Hitchcock film I Confess. In 1956, he co-starred in The Toy Tiger, starring Jeff Chandler, Outside the Law, and Somebody Up There Likes Me. From 1958 to 1959, Pratt had a recurring role on the syndicated western series, Union Pacific, set during the time of the completion of the transcontinental railroad.

During the 1960s and 1970s, Pratt became a staple on television with appearances on a variety of series. In 1966 he appeared on the only color episode of Perry Mason. He was cast as theatre director Tom Loman in The Case of the Twice-Told Twist," as theater director Tom Loman. Other television appearances included Father Knows Best, Hotel de Paree, The Man from Blackhawk, Overland Trail, The DuPont Show with June Allyson, Kondike, Bronco, Saints and Sinners, The Iron Horse, That Gir, Circle of Fear, S.W.A.T., Charlie's Angels, and The Quest.

He also made multiple appearances on western series including This Man Dawson, Cain's Hundred, Laramie, Outlaws, Gunsmoke, Rawhide, Death Valley Days, Slattery's People, Daniel Boone, The Virginian, and Bonanza. Pratt also had multiple roles on dramas and comedies including Bracken's World, Mayberry RFD, Kojak, Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color, and Police Story.

In addition to his extensive work in television, Pratt also had roles in numerous film during the 1960s including The Rise and Fall of Legs Diamond (1960), Kid Galahad (1962), starring Elvis Presley, The Ugly American with Marlon Brando, Cheyenne Autumn (1964), and The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes (1969). In the 1970s, Pratt had roles in The Barefoot Executive (1971), Futureworld, Vigilante Force, starring Kris Kristofferson and Jan-Michael Vincent. Pratt's final film role was in the 1978 drama film F.I.S.T., starring Sylvester Stallone. In the film, Pratt portrayed Stallone's character's attorney. Pratt made his final on-screen appearance a 1980 episode of Jack Klugman's Quincy, M.E.

Personal life

On May 21, 1950, Pratt married Broadway actress Roberta Jonay. The couple had two sons. They remained married until Jonay's death from cancer in April 1976.[1][2]

Pratt died in in Los Angeles at the age of eighty-five.

Stage career

Date Production Role
February 10–12, 1941 Popsy Western Union Messenger
February 10 – May 12, 1951 Billy Budd] Payne
Talbot (Replacement)
April 29–29, 1952 Hook n' Ladder Sam Ross
February 10 – August 13, 1955 The Desperate Hours Tom Winston

Selected filmography

Film
Year Title Role Notes
1953 I Confess Murphy Uncredited
1956 The Toy Tiger Mike Wyman
1956 Outside the Law Agent Maury Saxton
1956 Somebody Up There Likes Me Johnny Hyland Uncredited
1957 Four Girls in Town William Purdy Uncredited
1958 Monster on the Campus Wilbur Fletcher
1959 The Horse Soldiers Sgt. Maj. Kirby
1960 The Rise and Fall of Legs Diamond Fats Walsh
1960 Sergeant Rutledge Lt. Mulqueen
1962 Kid Galahad Howie Zimmerman
1963 The Ugly American Joe Bing
1964 A Distant Trumpet Capt. Cedric Gray MD
1964 Cheyenne Autumn Mayor James "Dog" Kelley of Dodge City, Kansas
1969 The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes Detective in Gambling Raid Uncredited
1971 The Barefoot Executive Policeman
1976 Futureworld Bartender
1976 Vigilante Force Harry Lee
1978 F.I.S.T Kovak's Attorney
Television
Year Title Role Notes
1956 '[The 20th Century-Fox Hour MacIntyre Episode: "The Moneymaker"
1957 Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theater Clay Ramsey Episode: "No Man Living"
1957 Ford Theatre Captain Brooks Episode: "House of Glass"
1958 Suspicion Police Sergeant Episode: "Fraction of a Second"
1958 Jefferson Drum Father Andrew Damon Episode: "Prison Hill"
1959 The Rough Riders Jack McCoy Episode: "The Rifle"
1959 '[The Lawless Years Ruditsky's Partner Episode: "The Big Greeny Story"
1959 Goodyear Television Playhouse Col. Holt Episode: "Point of Impact"
1960 Bourbon Street Beat Sergeant Bogart Episode: "Twice Betrayed"
1960 Thriller Police Lt. Bill Gordon Episode: "The Mark of the Hand"
1960 Dan Raven Markin Episode: "Tinge of Red"
1961 The Americans Sgt. Willers Episode: "The Sentry"
1961 Dennis the Menace Mr. Kowalski Episode: "The Pioneers"
1961 'Adventures in Paradise Harry Summers Episode: "The Assassins"
1962 Cheyenne Vince Harper Episode: "One Way Ticket"
1963 Stoney Burke Ed Mitchnet Episode: "Color Him Lucky"
1964 The Fugitive Bowers Episode: "Come Watch Me Die"
1959 The Rough Riders Jack McCoy Episode: "The Rifle"
1965 Death Valley Days General Bradley Episode: "Raid on San Francisco Mint", with Ronald W. Reagan as William Chapman Ralston
1966 Mister Ed Park Policeman Episode: "Ed and the Motorcycle"
1966 The Donna Reed Show Metcalfe Episode: " Is There a Small Hotel?"
1966 Perry Mason Tom Loman Episode: "The Case of the Twice Told Twist"
1967 Bewitched Eastwood Episode: "No More Mr. Nice Guy"
1967 The Second Hundred Years Policeman Episode: "Dear Father Come Home with Me Now"
1967 Lassie Pat Rockford Episode: "Inferno"
1969 The Guns of Will Sonnett John Hardwick Episode: "On Angry Juror"
1969 The Mod Squad Dr. Arthur Steelman Episode: "Never Give the Fuzz an Even Break"
1970 Nanny and the Professor Mr. Hilder Episode: "The New Butch"
1970 Ironside Parrish Episode: "The Man on the Inside"
1971 Room 222 Policeman Episode: "I Hate You, Silas Marner"
1972 Cannon Mike Episode: "Treasure of San Ignacio"
1972 The Partridge Family Cab Driver Episode: "Fellini, Bergman, and Partridge"
1972 Mission: Impossible Warden Lorimer Episode: "Hit"
1973 Kung Fu Cotton Episode: "An Eye for an Eye"
1973 Runaway! Bill Travers Television movie
1973 The Rookies Allen Mayson Episode: "A Matter of Justice"
1974 Marcus Welby, M.D. Fred Blainey Episode: "The Fatal Challenge"
1975 Barney Miller Lt. Faraday Episode: "Escape Artist"
1975 Matt Helm Guard Episode: "Death Rods"
1976 The Blue Knight Cliff Episode: "The Creeper"
1976 Little House on the Prairie Sam Wallace Episode: "The Long Road Home"
1976 Switch Jarvis Episode: "Maggie's Hero"
1977 The Streets of San Francisco Mr. Stewart Episode: "One Last Trick"
1978 ABC Weekend Special Sheriff Episode: "If I'm Lost, How Come I Found You?"
1978 The Incredible Hulk Guard Samuelson Episode: "Stop the Presses"
1979-1980 Quincy, M.E. Various 2 episodes

References